Day after polls, students clash at Presidency college

Trouble broke out at Presidency College on Saturday, a day after SFI won the students' union election.

TNN | Feb 21, 2010, 01:12 IST

KOLKATA: Trouble broke out at Presidency College on Saturday, a day after SFI won the students' union election.
Students of the Independents' Consolidation (IC) alleged that a group of SFI students attacked them with the help of outsiders and former students. IC supporter Debarshi Chakraborty, a first-year history student, was badly injured and admitted to Medical College and Hospital.

Trouble began around 2.30 pm when candidates victorious in Friday's election were voting to elect the panel for the students' union. A group of 12 to 15 SFI students allegedly targeted IC supporters Anikesh and Debarshi and started beating them up. "They shoved Anikesh away and then mercilessly beat up Debarshi, who had to be hospitalised. The SFI students also hurled bricks at us. The college authorities must explain how outsiders were allowed to enter the campus," demanded an IC supporter.

IC members complained to police and college principal Sanjib Ghosh against three SFI students Stotro Chakraborty, Debarjya Biswas and Susnat Podder. They also named three outsiders Subhrajit, Rajat and Jatin Sukla who the IC alleged were brought in by the SFI. "These three managed to enter the college and attacked us," complained an IC student.

A large police force reached the college to control the situation and locked the main gate of the campus after the clash broke out. "The principal and teachers were mute spectators as the SFI members attacked us. Even the police did nothing to stop them," alleged an IC student.

However, the SFI rubbished the IC's allegations. "The IC is trying to create a sensation out of a mere accident. No one entered the campus without producing their students' identity cards," claimed Tanay Burman of the SFI. The campus remained tense till evening as SFI and IC students shouted slogans against each other.

Principal Sanjib Ghosh said he had forwarded the complaints he had received from both the SFI and IC to the police. "We have asked police to take necessary action. Our disciplinary committee will also look into today's incident," he said.

Ghosh said he had also received a threat call from one of the students, who had "threatened me with dire consequences if I did not take action." Asked how outsiders managed to enter the college premises, the principal said they did so by scaling the closed main gate.

The panel election went ahead amid the clash and SFI's Arindan Mandal was elected general secretary of the new college union.

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